With less than 60 days remaining until Reunion 2007, alumni from multiple generations are registering in droves for the big weekend Friday-Sunday, June 1-3. Activities will include the annual Alumni Awards Convocation with music from alumni of the African Music Ensemble; Martinis, Mojitos, Microbrews and More in the big tent on the lawn; formal dinners for all reunion classes and clusters; an alumni art exhibit; and many more exciting ways to reconnect.

Two projects devised by Macalester students were selected for funding by The Kathryn Wasserman Davis 100 Projects for Peace program earlier this month. Philanthropist Kathryn Wasserman Davis, on the occasion of her 100th birthday, established the new program. She committed to giving at least one $10,000 prize to a student peace project at each of the 76 U.S. United World College Scholar Schools. In order to honor her 100 years with 100 projects, a few schools such as Macalester received two awards. The objective of the program is to encourage and support motivated youth to create and implement their ideas for building peace throughout the world in the 21st century.

Dara Hoppe ’10 will go to an agrarian reform settlement named PDS-Eperança in Anupa, Para, Brazil, this summer for her project. There, she will encourage sustainable economic development by strengthening handicraft (artesentato) production and commerce in the community.

In an effort to heal wounds and build bridges amongst diverse communities in Peru, Fiorella Ormeño Incio ’09 will collaborate with the Peruvian Association of the United World Colleges to produce a conflict resolution textbook, establish Peace Clubs and organize Peace Building Workshops in 25 schools throughout the country.

Associate Dean of the Institute for Global Citizenship and Director of the Civic Engagement Center Karin Trail-Johnson along with a panel of staff and faculty members facilitated the participation of Macalester students in the 100 Projects for Peace program. Overall, 17 projects were proposed by approximately 30 students, some working in groups.

"This program was a wonderful opportunity for Macalester students matching their intellectual capacity and vision for positive social change with resources to make their ideas a reality,” Trail-Johnson said. “The project created a buzz of excitement and hopeful energy on campus as students imagined the possibilities. In addition, the fact that Mrs. Davis chose to celebrate her 100th birthday by investing in the hope of young people for bettering the world is an invaluable lesson in the power of philanthropy."More about the 100 Projects for Peace »

President Rosenberg calls for more need-based aid for Minnesota students

The Pioneer Press (St. Paul) ran a column by President Brian Rosenberg on April 2 in which he called on the Minnesota Legislature to increase funding of the State Grant Program that provides need-based aid to post-secondary students in the state. In the editorial, Rosenberg wrote, “…we should do all we can to make college an attainable and affordable opportunity for students from low- and middle-income families.” Rosenberg is also chairman of the Minnesota Private College Council.Read the article at TwinCities.com »Read an interview with President Rosenberg at TheMacWeekly.com »

The official results are in from the energy saving contest, Campus Wars, held amongst 13 Minnesota schools in February. Because of student efforts to reduce heat and electricity consumption, the 13 participating campuses decreased the electricity they collectively consumed by 48,578 kilowatt-hours from their collective three-year average of 11,349,456 kilowatt-hours for the month of February.

Macalester reduced its electricity usage by 8.42 percent during the contest. According to Timothy Den Herder-Thomas ’09, an organizer of the contest, all participating colleges ended up increasing their heat usage due to a slightly colder season, but conservation measures kept a lid on that increase — Macalester's heating usage only rose by 9.94 percent while some campuses saw a jump of nearly 18 percent.

Contest organizers declared winning campuses in three categories – electricity, heating and combined BTU-equivalents. Gustavus Adolphus won the electricity category, reducing its use by 8.9 percent. St Kate's won the heating category only increasing 2.09 percent during the colder season; and Macalester won the combined category with the lowest increase in combined BTU’s consumed of 1.55 percent. Planning is already underway for another contest in 2008.

Theater stages The Love Song of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Carson Kreitzer

Students under the direction of Beth Cleary, chair of Theater and Dance, are staging The Love Song of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Carson Kreitzer this month. The play explores the question posited by T.S. Eliot’s famous poem, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, “Do I dare disturb the Universe?” by telling the story of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer’s role in creating the world’s first atomic bomb and how he may have experienced the consequences of his invention.

Performances are 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, April 20-21; 2 p.m. Sunday, April 22; and 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, April 26-28 in the MainStage Theater of the Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center. Call the Box Office at 651-696-6359 for reservations.

Two class sessions cancelled for "Change and Exchange"

Another student-initiated response to January's "politically incorrect" party, in which offensive costumes were worn by particpants, will happen this month. President Brian Rosenberg and Provost Diane Michelfelder, after consulting with members of the student government and the student group MacDialogue announced in a campus-wide e-mail that classes will be cancelled for a "Campus Community Conversation" 11:50 a.m. - 2:10 p.m. Wednesday, April 11. Additional sessions led by students, faculty and staff will take place through the remainder of the week.

In their e-mail to the campus, Rosenberg and Michelfelder shared their hopes that these sessions help make Macalester a community "in which diversity is a source of strength, in which all can feel safe, and in which dialogues about difficult and even painful issues — particularly about issues related to race — can be conducted with civility, intelligence and honesty."

MacDirect, a new version of the alumni online directory, to launch this month

Responding to feedback from alumni, the Alumni Office is busy preparing a new version of its online directory called MacDirect. In addition to features enjoyed in the current online directory — such as permanent e-mail forwarding, searching for classmates and the ability to maintain one's own contact info — MacDirect will allow alumni to post class notes with photos, upload résumés and see a quick summary of classmates and friends who’ve posted new notes when they login. A smooth transition is expected. Alumni should anticipate more information about MacDirect when it launches.

Minnesota premiere of Divided We Fall attracts over 100 viewers

An audience made up of Macalester alumni, students, staff and faculty, as well as guests from the wider Twin Cities community swelled to over 100 for the Minnesota Premiere of the documentary, Divided We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath, on April 3. Written by Valarie Kaur and directed by Sharat Raju, the film follows Kaur on her journey across the U.S. to document reports of hate crimes and discrimination immediately following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. It also follows her when she revisits the interviewees four years later. The Macalester screening was the first time the film was shown in Minnesota and it reportedly moved the audience, the entirety of which stayed for a 45-minute discussion. Kaur discussed the film further with students the following day.Visit Divided We Fall website »

Two ways to get to China

There are now two ways to get to China through the Alumni Travel Program — register for the second tour departing Sept. 30 or enter the Giving is Lucky drawing by making a gift to Macalester's Annual Fund. This trip is so popular, the first tour sold out in February, convincing organizers to add a second tour with an identical itinerary. More about the alumni trip to China »

This month in the Macalester Talks podcast series, listeners can hear more from current Mac students — on both sides of the interview:

Timothy Den Herder-Thomas ’09 is interviewed by Hattie Stahl ’08 about his work to make Macalester greener, from the recent Campus Wars to the clean energy fund to investing in a utility-scale wind turbine.

Professor Nanette Goldman, Classics, tells Emily Smith ’09 about her area of study, how that informs her views of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, her archeological dig and her claim to fame: playing violin with music legend Prince.

Samantha Ross ’07 shares her love of trivia, how she got hooked on it and what it’s like to be on Jeopardy with Hattie Stahl ’08.

Urban Studies Professor George Latimer, who served as mayor of St. Paul from 1976 to 1990, discusses highlights from his political career and his plans after teaching his last course at Macalester.

Cpl. Stephen Kowalczyk ’97 was killed while on patrol in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, on March 14. He was honored with Bronze Star for Valor, the Good Conduct Medal and the Purple Heart along with a posthumous promotion to corporal at his memorial service on April 5 in Boulder, Colo. Kowalczyk studied biology at Macalester for two years starting in 1994 and set three diving and swimming records. According to his family, he was an avid environmentalist and joined the Army specifically to serve in Iraq because he believed his efforts would help protect innocent Iraqi people and contribute to the stability, freedom and independence of that country. He is the second of two Macalester alumni to die during the US-led conflict in Iraq and the first to die in combat.Read more about Cpl. Kowalczyk at StarTribune.com »

Corrections to the 2005-2006 Donor Report posted online

Macalester publishes its Donor Report every year, acknowledging the people and organizations that have given generously to the college. Corrections to the 2005-2006 Donor Report have recently been posted online to recognize the generosity of Michael S. Margulies ’75 and his wife Jeanne M. Forneris ’75; Larry Bogolub ’82; David A. Chidsey ’86; Karen L. Katz ’78; as well as the Fabricon Corporation. Macalester’s Development Office makes every effort to list our donors accurately in this annual report. Should an error have occurred in your listing, please accept our apologies and e-mail Deb Chaulk so that we may post any further corrections.View 2005-2006 Donor Report corrections »

Take part in a luncheon and discussion with Dr. Ahmed Samatar, the dean of Macalester’s Institute for Global Citizenship. A buffet lunch will be served at noon. $17 per person. E-mail Stephen Sporer by April 6 to RSVP.

Enjoy an afternoon playing tennis with today's varsity teams. Doubles play will be combined into the categories Varsity vs. Alumni
(Men's, Women's, Mixed), Alumni vs. Alumni (Men's, Women's, Mixed) and Alumni/Varsity vs. Alumni/Varsity
(Men's, Women's). To sign up, e-mail Michael Vidmar ’89 and tell him your name and the categories you would like to participate in at this event.

Shop a variety of artwork, crafts and other creative ventures made by the students, staff, faculty and alumni of the Macalester community. Free and open to the public. Student, staff, faculty and alumni artists and artisans who wish to sell their work at this event may do so by e-mailing Karlyn Wegmann or calling her at 651-696-6156. Please include your name, phone number, e-mail address, class year, and a brief description of your sale item. Macalester will provide one table, either six or eight feet long, and one or two chairs to participating vendors. Onsite consumable sale items and baked goods are not allowed. Vendor reservations are due Tuesday, April 10.

Alumni living in the Seattle area are invited to an evening of hors d’oeuvres and wine in anticipation of Reunion 2007 happening June 1-3. Don’t miss this chance to reconnect with your alma mater. Sponsored by the Macalester College Reunion Gift Committees. Co-hosted by Shelly Jones ’69 and Lynn Niederfeld Morgan ’68. E-mail Danielle Nelson ’05, associate director of the Annual Fund, to RSVP.

Spend the afternoon with other Macalester alumni in the Chicago area repackaging donated food for the city's hungry. For more information or to RSVP, e-mail Lisa Pagniucci ’99.

Seattle Alumni Day of Service Saturday, April 28
Time and service site to be determined

Join with other alumni in the Seattle area for a “Rebuilding Together Seattle” service day. No special skills are required. Be prepared to work hard for a day to make a difference in someone’s life. Afterward, all are invited to the home of Don and Lisa Percival (both ’76) and Andrew Percival ’06 for a pot luck supper. Rebuilding Together Seattle is a non-profit organization that partners with volunteers from the community to restore the homes of low-income homeowners, particularly the elderly, individuals with disabilities and families with children so they may continue to live in warmth, safety and independence.Pre-registration is required so organizers can contact you with location, time and other details about our service site. E-mail Lisa Percival ’76 by April 25 to register.More about Rebuilding Together Seattle »

Professor Julie Dolan, Political Science, presents a talk titled “Hillary, Nancy and Condi: Women in Politics in the U.S.” at a special breakfast for Great Scots. At no other time in the history of the United States have so many women served in such high-ranking government positions. Yet despite women’s gains, the practice of politics is still fundamentally gendered on many levels. Drawing from the recent book she co-authored with two colleagues, Women and Politics: Paths to Power and Political Influence, Professor Dolan will talk about some of the challenges and constraints facing political women in the United States, as well as highlight some of their unique contributions and successes. The Great Scots are Macalester alumni, ages 55 and over, living in the Twin Cities area. $10 per person. E-mail Carol Polk by Monday, April 23, to RSVP.

Alumni living in the Seattle area are invited to a Preunion Happy Hour at The People’s Pub. Come and celebrate Reunion 2007 before it happens June 1-3. Don’t miss this additional chance to reconnect with your alma mater. Sponsored by the Macalester College Reunion Gift Committees. Co-hosted by Nancy Schatz Alton ’92 and Mike Gelardi ’02. E-mail Danielle Nelson ’05, associate director of the Annual Fund, to RSVP.

The firehouse turns topsy-turvy for this unique five-playwright tag-team play by, for, about, and featuring biracial people. Staged in all corners of Mixed Blood's theatre, this world premier explodes from the perpetual question asked of people of multiple races: "What are you?" Following the performance will be a special wine and cheese reception with Mixed Blood Theater founder Jack Reuler '75, cast member Aditi Kapil '94 as well as other members of the cast. $24, includes ticket and post-show reception. Space is limited. Register by Friday, April 27. E-mail Stephen Sporer for more information.

The Mac Wire is a monthly e-newsletter for alumni and friends of Macalester College prepared by the Alumni Office and College Relations Department. We hope you enjoy reading it. To "opt out" from receiving this newsletter, please send an e-mail to advdataentry@macalester.edu with your name and class year in the message followed by the words "unsubscribe Mac Wire." You can also opt-out using our online form http://www.macalester.edu/alumni/macwire/subscription.html or by sending a letter to Alumni Office, Macalester College, 1600 Grand Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55105.